Welp, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Joe Biden</a>’s phony baloney 2024 Right-wing pivot is here. 
Biden&#8217;s about-face on critical issues ahead of his re-election bid has been evident ever since he helped deep-six Washington, D.C.&#8217;s soft-on-crime overhaul. It was a shrewd move that isolated his far-Left colleagues and blunted GOP attacks that blame Biden and his party for the crime wave plaguing the nation.
In recent weeks though, Biden has taken his political reversal to a whole new level. Now, Biden claims Republicans are the ones who are weak on border security and want to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/say-what-biden-claims-it-is-republicans-who-want-to-defund-police" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defund the police</a>. It&#8217;s hard to say if voters will buy it, but the media probably will.
Biden’s 2024 play is obvious. He&#8217;ll malign whomever the Republican nominee is as an &#8220;ultra-MAGA extremist.&#8221; You can hear him now: &#8220;If it weren’t for these MAGA Republicans, I could get stuff done with reasonable GOPers, like I did on gun reform and the Inflation Reduction Act.&#8221;
Biden tweeted Wednesday that, “MAGA House Republicans put out extreme budget proposals that would eliminate funding for over 2,000 border patrol agents – undermining our ability to combat drug trafficking.”
Never mind that the tweet is <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-republicans-call-cutting-border-patrol-agents-1789250">entirely false.</a> Worse, Biden thinks that the problem with illegal immigration appears to be that it isn’t orderly enough. As long as border crossers come in “legally” while requesting asylum, Biden&#8217;s just fine with adding entire cities&#8217; worth of foreign nationals to the U.S. population. In his mind, the problem with the border isn&#8217;t that it&#8217;s a sieve, it&#8217;s just a matter of paperwork. And those folks pouring over from Mexico? They&#8217;re not illegal immigrants, they&#8217;re “legal asylum seekers.”
“My budget keeps our borders secure while expanding legal pathways for migrants seeking asylum,” he added. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
MAGA House Republicans put out extreme budget proposals that would eliminate funding for over 2,000 border patrol agents – undermining our ability to combat drug trafficking.
My budget keeps our borders secure while expanding legal pathways for migrants seeking asylum. <a href="https://t.co/a90LrwAxyF">pic.twitter.com/a90LrwAxyF</a>
&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1638222897620692995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2023</a></blockquote>
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How about this bit of stirring oratory that someone wrote for Scranton Joe: “The greatness of a nation isn&#8217;t just measured by the strength of its army, the vastness of its geography, or the size of its economy.&#8221;
“It&#8217;s also measured in the vitality of its culture. A democratic culture – forged in the ability to speak and think freely.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The greatness of a nation isn&#39;t just measured by the strength of its army, the vastness of its geography, or the size of its economy.
It&#39;s also measured in the vitality of its culture.
A democratic culture – forged in the ability to speak and think freely.
&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1638382635704627200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Protecting America&#8217;s borders and culture? All he needs to do is throw in &#8220;language&#8221; and he&#8217;ll sound like Michael Savage.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-459007">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
This is the same guy who in early March <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/03/14/biden-claims-republicans-in-congress-pushing-defunding-the-police/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;MAGA Republicans are calling for defunding the police department and defunding the FBI now.&#8221;
“That&#8217;s a good one,” he added. “I like that.&#8221;
Anybody who has been paying attention knows this all entirely backwards. The president — as he has done his entire career — is shifting his magniloquence based on what is politically expedient.
Biden has to run for re-election as a moderate if he wants to have any chance of winning. But protean politics is no problem for him. He admitted as much way back in 1974. 
“I don’t think the issues mean a great deal in terms of whether you win or lose,” he <a href="https://www.washingtonian.com/1974/06/01/joe-biden-kitty-kelley-1974-profile-death-and-the-all-american-boy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in an interview with The Washingtonian. “I think the issues are merely a vehicle to portray your intellectual capacity to the voters &#8230; a vehicle by which the voters will determine your honesty and candor. The central issue of my campaign … was to convince the people that I was intelligent and to convince them that I was honest.”
You&#8217;ll note his goal was not to actually be smart and trustworthy, just to “convince” voters he was. Biden&#8217;s latest attempt to trick voters into thinking he&#8217;s a different guy is just proof that after all these years, he hasn&#8217;t changed a bit.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

(Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Welp, Biden’s Phony Baloney Right-Wing Pivot Is Here

Welp, Biden's Phony Baloney Right-Wing Pivot Is Here

2024 Election

Biden Admin

Border Crisis

Joe Biden

MAGA

The Republican-led House passed on Thursday legislation banning the United States from selling and exporting crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/communist-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a>.
More than 100 Democrats joined their GOP counterparts, who raised concerns last year about the Biden administration selling <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/comer-mace-bidens-sale-of-u-s-oil-reserves-to-china-may-support-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nearly a million barrels</a> from the reserve to a Chinese state-controlled crude giant.
The final tally for the &#8220;Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act&#8221; was 331-97. Six members did not vote, <a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202331" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the House clerk</a>. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), who introduced the bill, <a href="https://mcmorris.house.gov/posts/mcmorris-rodgers-leads-passage-of-h-r-22-to-prevent-the-sale-of-spr-oil-to-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called it</a> &#8220;one of the most bipartisan votes on an energy bill in many years and multiple congresses.&#8221;
Despite receiving support from both sides of the aisle, the bill is not expected to be taken up by the Senate under the leadership of the Democrats, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-votes-ban-sales-strategic-petroleum-reserve-china/story?id=96397178" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to ABC News</a>. Still, the vote Thursday was one of two bipartisan acts focused on Beijing during this fledgling session of Congress under the leadership of Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), following a vote Tuesday in which <a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202326" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nearly 150 Democrats joined Republicans</a> to establish the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.
<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/22/text" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Under the legislation</a> passed Thursday, the energy secretary, &#8220;[n]otwithstanding any other provision of law,&#8221; is prohibited from drawing down or selling petroleum products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve &#8220;to any entity that is under the ownership, control, or influence of&#8221; China&#8217;s Communist Party &#8220;except on the condition that such petroleum products will not be exported to the People’s Republic of China.&#8221;
According to the <a href="https://www.energy.gov/ceser/strategic-petroleum-reserve" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Energy Department website</a>, the SPR is &#8220;the world&#8217;s largest supply of emergency crude oil … established primarily to reduce the impact of disruptions in supplies of petroleum products and to carry out obligations of the United States under the international energy program.&#8221;
As part of a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/10/18/fact-sheet-president-biden-to-announce-new-actions-to-strengthen-u-s-energy-security-encourage-production-and-bring-down-costs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">180-million-barrell drawdown</a> through which the government sought to stabilize global oil markets and <a href="https://rollcall.com/2022/10/19/biden-to-announce-more-oil-reserve-sales-to-reduce-gas-prices/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">combat rising gasoline prices</a>, the Biden administration announced in July 2022 a number of contracts for the purchase of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Among those contracts to 14 companies was one for about 950,000 barrels awarded to Unipec America, a subsidiary of Communist Party-owned Sinopec Corp.
<a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-contract-awards-additional-crude-oil-sales-strategic-petroleum-reserve" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Energy Department said</a> these sales were meant to &#8220;address the significant global supply disruption caused by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war on Ukraine, act as a bridge for domestic production to increase, and help stabilize volatile energy costs for American families.&#8221; But in a letter sent a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, House Republicans <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/comer-mace-bidens-sale-of-u-s-oil-reserves-to-china-may-support-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised concerns</a> about U.S. oil possibly being used by China to support Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine and warned of the potential for Hunter Biden, the president&#8217;s adult son, receiving money from the deal because of the <a href="https://freebeacon.com/national-security/how-chinese-companies-linked-to-hunter-biden-could-bail-out-putin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">financial links</a> between his private equity firm and the Chinese energy sector.
The Energy Department <a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-repurchase-oil-strategic-petroleum-reserve" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced in December 2022</a> an effort to repurchase crude oil for the SPR, but Republicans remained distressed by Biden&#8217;s strategy.
“To cover up his failed policies driving our energy and inflation crisis, President Biden is draining our nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves at an alarming rate,&#8221; McMorris Rodgers said in her statement Thursday. &#8220;America’s SPR — once the world’s largest stockpile — have been depleted to the lowest levels since 1983. To date, President Biden has released more from the SPR than all U.S. presidents in history combined. Millions of barrels of that oil have gone to China, which now has the world’s largest government-controlled stockpile of oil. Draining our strategic reserves for political purposes and selling it to China is a significant threat to our national and energy security.&#8221;
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, voted against the bill. &#8220;If Republicans were serious about addressing the issue they would have brought forward a bill that banned all exports of oil — crude oil to China,&#8221; <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?525320-1/house-session" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pallone said on the House floor</a> Thursday. He added: &#8220;If we truly want to address China using American oil to build its reserves, let’s actually take a serious look at that, rather than skirt around the issue because Republicans are scared of Big Oil’s wrath.&#8221;

Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Republican-Led House Votes To Ban Oil Reserve Sales To China

Communist China

Congress

Energy

Strategic Petroleum Reserve

U.S.

U.S. House of Representatives

A ranking Republican on the House Oversight Committee is launching a broad probe into reports of President Joe Biden&#8217;s &#8220;secret deal&#8221; with Saudi Arabia ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
Rep. James Comer (R-KY) is calling on leaders at the Department of Energy (DOE), State Department, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to explain Biden&#8217;s strategy.
&#8220;The Committee is investigating reports of a &#8216;secret deal to boost oil production&#8217; between the Biden Administration and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,&#8221; Comer wrote in a <a href="https://republicans-oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-12-4-Saudi-Secret-Deal.pdf">letter</a> to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, citing a New York Times article from October.
“If his Administration is engaging in backdoor market manipulations with adversarial nations while jeopardizing our national security for the sake of securing more favorable election conditions for Democrats, the American people have a right to know,” he continued.
<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://get.dailywire.com/readers-pass/read-only-v2?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_medium=editorial&amp;utm_source=dwsite&amp;cid=dwplus&amp;mid=z&amp;xid=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/readers-pass/read-only-v2?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_medium=editorial&amp;utm_source=dwsite&amp;cid=dwplus&amp;mid=z&amp;xid=0" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">TIRED OF THE LEGACY MEDIA’S BIAS CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE AND OBSCURING THE TRUTH? JOIN US.</a>
The information was requested by December 19.
Comer is expected to become the chair of the House Oversight Committee when Republicans return to the majority in the House next year. Along with other GOP leaders, the congressman is concerned about an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/25/us/politics/us-saudi-oil-deal.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alleged effort</a> with Saudi Arabia&#8217;s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and other OPEC+ nations to cut oil production by two million barrels per day in October.
American gas prices began climbing shortly afterward ahead of the midterms.
“Since day one in office, President Biden has waged war on American-made energy and driven up costs for Americans,&#8221; Comer <a href="https://republicans-oversight.house.gov/release/comer-presses-for-docs-about-president-bidens-energy-crisis-secret-deal-with-saudi-arabia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;President Biden has unilaterally shut down the Keystone XL pipeline, implemented a moratorium on oil and gas production on federal lands, drained critical oil reserves, and pushed policies that directly resulted in skyrocketing energy prices. With one-party Democrat rule in Washington, they’ve weaponized their unchecked power, waged a war against American-made energy production, and forced Green New Deal policies on the American people.”
“Oversight Republicans have pushed senior Biden Administration officials for answers and will continue to seek their plans to reverse energy policies detrimental to the American people and our national security. With the power of the gavel, we will hold the Biden Administration responsible for recklessly attacking a critical industry that provides the American people affordable energy and good-paying job opportunities,&#8221; he added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨NEW🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/RepJamesComer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepJamesComer</a> launches probe into President Biden’s energy crisis that is harming the pocketbooks of Americans.
He is calling on senior leadership to provide information related to the Biden Administration’s failed policies.<a href="https://t.co/6wsLrQrhZ5">https://t.co/6wsLrQrhZ5</a>
&mdash; Oversight Committee Republicans (@GOPoversight) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPoversight/status/1599439154760122368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Saudi Arabia has long served as a concern over human rights.
The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/youre-letting-him-get-away-with-murder-jake-tapper-torches-biden-for-giving-saudi-prince-a-pass" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> regarding the Saudi crown prince claiming immunity in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. WaPo publisher Fred Ryan criticized Biden when the news was reported, accusing the president of effectively granting a “license to kill.&#8221;

Biden in Saudi Arabia

GOP Rep Launches Probe Into Reports Of Biden’s ‘Secret Deal’ With Saudi Arabia Ahead Of Midterms

Oil and Gas

Saudi Arabia

World

There&#8217;s a straightforward solution that the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden administration</a> could enact in order to alleviate the nation&#8217;s ongoing energy crisis.
President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> needs to remove government barriers to oil production and signal to the industry that America is open for business.
It looks like Biden loves the idea — except not for American oil. Over the Thanksgiving break, the Treasury Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/put-america-last-biden-gives-chevron-greenlight-to-start-pumping-oil-in-venezuela-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> it would allow Chevron to resume pumping oil in Venezuela.
Curiously, the Biden administration claims that it removed the sanctions on the socialist country for reasons other than bringing down the costs of fuel.
“This action is not being taken in response to energy prices, this is a limited license,&#8221; an anonymous official told Politico. &#8220;As we have said in the past, this is about the regime taking the steps needed to support the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.&#8221;
So interestingly enough, the Biden administration thinks that temporarily assisting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro&#8217;s regime takes precedence over the battle against climate change.
Democracy in Venezuela is more important than stopping carbon emissions. Yet fighting climate change remains more important than helping the average American by taking steps to ensure more domestic production of oil. So to keep track of Biden&#8217;s priorities it goes: 1) Venezuelan democracy, 2) climate change, and dead last is affordable energy for Americans.
Never mind putting the kibosh on American oil, the Biden administration has also taken steps in recent months to squander the country&#8217;s relationship with Guyana — an ally in South America.
<a href="https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/bidens-dirty-oil-deal-with-venezuela-free-elections-guyana-environmental-reparations-strategic-value-pdvsa-11669579238" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According</a> to The Wall Street Journal, America recently blocked a $70 million loan from U.S.-based bank IBD Investments that would have allowed Guyana to upgrade necessary infrastructure in the country to allow exports of its oil.
WSJ columnist Mary Anastasia O’Grady said the Biden administration&#8217;s &#8220;reasoning was based on August 2021 Treasury &#8216;guidance on fossil fuel energy at the multilateral development banks,&#8217; which says that the U.S. will &#8216;promote ending international financing of carbon-intensive fossil fuel-based energy.'&#8221;
Who is stepping in to assist Guyana? The Chinese Communist Party.
As O&#8217;Grady put it, &#8220;The U.S. government thinks you’re a fool, dear reader.&#8221;
The Biden administration &#8220;expects you to believe that Venezuela is considering a return to free elections in exchange,&#8221; she wrote.  Venezuela&#8217;s partners with Iran and the Venezuelan people have suffered for decades thanks to the socialist principles and policies in play in the South American nation.
Meanwhile, the regime will undoubtedly become wealthier thanks to the Biden administration.
At the same time, the Chinese are working to increase their stature in the region by producing the necessary funding for Guyana&#8217;s oil industry to prosper.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), it should be noted, has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/in-devastating-blow-to-john-kerrys-green-energy-utopia-china-to-start-increasing-coal-production" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ignored</a> the Biden administration&#8217;s call to reduce Co2 emissions. It has, to put it bluntly, taken climate czar John Kerry to the woodshed on numerous occasions and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jetsetter-john-kerry-asks-worlds-poorest-to-cut-back-on-oil" target="_blank" rel="noopener">often don&#8217;t answer his emails</a>.
So if communist China and ultra-socialist Venezuela are benefiting from the Biden team&#8217;s ineptitude, then who is suffering? The American people.
Despite being on the brink of true energy independence upon coming into office, the Democrats in charge have done everything imaginable to reduce fossil fuel production, destroy Americans&#8217; jobs, and ratchet up the price of gas. In its place, they push costly electric vehicles and praise the &#8220;transition.&#8221;
In other words, Biden prefers communist oil, not American-produced. To paraphrase the Journal, it is a &#8220;dirty deal.&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Biden Prefers Communist Oil, Not American-Produced

Biden Administration

Communism

Executive

Fossil Fuels

Politics

Venezuela

Democrat President Joe Biden faced backlash over the weekend after his administration announced it would allow Chevron to resume pumping oil in socialist Venezuela.
The move from the leftist Biden administration reversed restrictions that the Trump administration had put on companies in an effort to oust socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro.
&#8220;On November 26th, the Unitary Platform and the Maduro regime announced the resumption of talks in Mexico City; a humanitarian agreement focused on education, health, food security, flood response, and electricity programs that will benefit the Venezuelan people; and agreement on the continuation of talks focused on the 2024 elections,&#8221; the Treasury Department said in a statement. &#8220;Following this announcement and consistent with U.S. government policy, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Venezuela General License (GL) 41, authorizing Chevron Corporation to resume limited natural resource extraction operations in Venezuela.&#8221;
The statement said that the move by the administration to &#8220;provide targeted sanctions relief&#8221; was based on the Venezuelan government&#8217;s recent actions to help its people and &#8220;support the restoration of democracy.&#8221;
The sanctions relief that the administration is providing to Venezuela will last six months, at which point it could be revoked or amended.
Venezuela&#8217;s economy was wrecked by its &#8220;state-run economic model&#8221; that &#8220;wasted the world’s largest oil reserves,&#8221; CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/02/venezuela-inflation-at-10-million-percent-its-time-for-shock-therapy.html">reported</a> in 2019. The report added that inflation in the country had reached a peak of nearly 10 million percent that year since 2018, which left many unable to feed themselves.
The move by the Biden administration to ease sanctions on Venezuela comes as the administration has been hostile to issuing new drilling permits in the U.S., which has invited intense criticism.
Former White House Economic Adviser Stephen Moore <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/biden-allowing-chevron-drill-venezuela-makes-absolutely-no-sense-stephen-moore">said</a> Sunday that the move by the administration makes no sense and puts America last.
&#8220;I literally almost fell out of my chair reading this headline that says we&#8217;re going to allow, you know, Chevron to do drilling in Venezuela,&#8221; Moore told Fox News. &#8220;This is the same administration that won&#8217;t allow us to do drilling here in the United States, not in Texas, not in Oklahoma, not in Alaska, not in West Virginia. But we can pump oil from Venezuela. It makes absolutely no sense. It&#8217;s put America last energy policy.&#8221;
&#8220;And by the way, when Trump left office and I helped Trump on energy policy, our whole policy was to make America totally energy independent so we wouldn&#8217;t have to rely on countries like Venezuela and Iran and Russia,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And so somebody explain this one to me because it makes no sense.&#8221;

Nicol·s Maduro Press Conference After Controversial Parliamentary Elections

‘Put America Last’: Biden Gives Chevron Greenlight To Start Pumping Oil In Venezuela Again

Biden Gives Chevron Greenlight To Start Pumping Oil In Venezuela Again

The Biden administration is close to granting a license to Chevron to resume pumping oil in Venezuela, following previous reporting that President Joe Biden would ease sanctions on the socialist country to allow the U.S. oil company to continue production.
Chevron has retained stakes in Venezuelan oil fields through its joint ventures with Venezuela’s state-run oil company Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-poised-to-grant-chevron-license-to-pump-oil-in-venezuela-11669231901?mod=e2tw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The new license would allow Chevron to regain partial control of its production and maintenance in Venezuela.
The new license is contingent on an expected announcement from the Venezuelan government and its political opponents to implement a $3 billion humanitarian program using funds recently unfrozen by the U.S., and to resume talks to resolve the socialist country’s political crisis by implementing free and fair elections, the Journal reported.
The license would not be permanent and would require renewal in the future, but once granted, it would allow Chevron to operate in Venezuela under a sanctions framework similar to what was in effect in 2019 when former President Donald Trump’s administration implemented sanctions in an effort to oust Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro.
The Biden administration initially signaled that it would allow Chevron to resume pumping oil in Venezuela in October when Russia and Saudi Arabia announced they would massively reduce oil production to just two million barrels per day, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-to-ease-sanctions-on-socialist-venezuela-releases-maduros-convicted-narco-trafficker-nephews">reported</a>.
At the same time, the Biden administration also released convicted narco-traffickers related to Maduro in exchange for hostages taken by the regime, a move that could incentivize other hostile foreign powers to detain American citizens so they can use that as leverage over the Biden administration.
“Well, the two Venezuelans that were released are the nephews of Maduro who happen to be convicted drug dealers,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said. “They were put in jail after being convicted after a fair trial in the United States. Evidence was produced and it was overwhelming.”
“That has now put a price tag on Americans. Every time you do one of these deals — and I wanted those people released as much as anybody,” Rubio continued. “But every time you do this, now others know, I can take Americans, I can hold them until I need something as a bargaining chip.”
Rubio said that the trade was a big win for the socialist dictator: “So I think seven innocent American hostages in exchange for two convicted drug dealers who happen to be the nephews of Maduro is a huge win for Maduro and, unfortunately, puts Americans all over the world now in danger.”
Ryan Saavedra contributed to this report.

President Biden Meets With Mexican President Obrador In The Oval Office

Biden Administration Preparing To Give Chevron License To Pump Oil In Venezuela

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> (D) snapped at a young woman who attended a political rally that he hosted on Sunday at Sarah Lawrence College in New York for gubernatorial candidate Kathy Hochul.
&#8220;No more drilling. There is no more drilling,&#8221; Biden snapped at a young woman in the crowd. &#8220;I haven&#8217;t formed any new drilling.&#8221;
&#8220;There are at least five more years of offshore drilling,&#8221; the woman shouted back. &#8220;— in the Atlantic or the Pacific but in the Antarctic and off the gulf of New Mexico.&#8221;
&#8220;That was before I was president,&#8221; Biden responded. &#8220;We&#8217;re trying to work on that and get that done.&#8221;
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BREAKING: Two days before the midterm elections, Joe Biden clearly states he is for &quot;no more [oil] drilling.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/2F9hZNOwMt">pic.twitter.com/2F9hZNOwMt</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1589407963902533638?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Biden&#8217;s remarks come after he said late last week that he was going to be shutting down coal plants across the country amid an energy crisis.
“I was in Massachusetts about a month ago on the site of the largest old coal plant in America. Guess what? It cost them too much money,” Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/offensive-and-disgusting-joe-manchin-blasts-president-biden-as-divorced-from-reality-in-extraordinary-rebuke" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at an event in Carlsbad, California. “No one is building new coal plants because they can’t rely on it, even if they have all the coal guaranteed for the rest of the existence of the plant. So it’s going to become a wind generation.”
“And all they’re doing is, it’s going to save them a hell of a lot of money and using the same transmission line that they transmitted the coal-fired electric on, we’re going to be shutting these plants down all across America and having wind and solar power.”
The White House walked back Biden&#8217;s remarks after he was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-walks-back-bidens-remarks-about-shutting-down-coal-plants-after-manchin-nuked-him">blasted</a> by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the the Senate Energy &amp; Natural Resources Committee.
Former Trump White House senior adviser Stephen Miller responded to Biden&#8217;s remarks on Sunday evening by saying, &#8220;No oil, no coal, no shale. Pennsylvania: a vote for Fetterman is a vote to send your state into a Great Depression.&#8221;
&#8220;Biden and Democrats are hostile to oil and gas production. I am running for reelection to keep Texas #1 for oil and gas,&#8221; Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted. &#8220;I will protect the good paying jobs in the oil field and keep America energy independent.&#8221;
&#8220;Um, that&#8217;s a consequential gaffe,&#8221; meteorologist Ryan Maue tweeted. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think he was supposed to say that in public.&#8221;
&#8220;The mask slips,&#8221; Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) tweeted.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) tweeted, &#8220;You can’t make it up.&#8221;
&#8220;Biden still out here messaging to his lunatic base which makes up about 10% of the country,&#8221; radio host Jesse Kelly tweeted. &#8220;Genius.&#8221;
Actor James Woods tweeted, &#8220;Diesel is over $7/gallon at my corner service station. #Vote&#8221;
This is a developing news story; refresh the page for updates.

US-VOTE-POLITICS-BIDEN

Ahead Of Midterm Elections, Biden Snaps At Rally: ‘No More Drilling! There Is No More Drilling!’

Elections

Kathy Hochul

President Joe Biden is weak &#8212; both physically and politically.
During the presidential campaign, Biden repeatedly said he would restore America&#8217;s name in the world (Democrats always deride Republicans and claim foreign leaders despise them). He&#8217;s done just the opposite.
Russian President Vladimir Putin would never have invaded Ukraine while Donald Trump was president, but he felt Biden was impotent &#8212; wouldn&#8217;t stop him and couldn&#8217;t rally foreign support sufficient to thwart an invasion.
China has been eating Biden&#8217;s lunch, openly courting Russia and Iran and snubbing U.S. efforts to close the massive trade gap. And Saudi Arabia all but laughed in the president&#8217;s face when he flew there to beg for oil.
Biden was hoping for the Saudis to ramp up production by 1.5 million to 2 million barrels per day. They agreed to an increase &#8212; but just 100,000 barrels (America uses about 20 million barrels a day).
Then earlier this month, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced it would slash production by 2 million barrels a day. That announcement came just a month before the U.S. midterm elections.
A White House leaker said Biden had actually begged the Saudis not to cut production before the elections, and the White House on Thursday put its spin on the leak.
“We presented Saudi Arabia with analysis to show that there was no market basis to cut production targets, and that they could easily wait for the next OPEC meeting to see how things developed,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
Biden has accused gas companies in the U.S. of price gouging and blasts OPEC for cutting production as gas prices soar. But he&#8217;s so weak that Saudi leaders came out and ripped him a new one.
The Foreign Ministry blasted White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s claim that the October 5 action by OPEC+ “align[ed] their energy policy with Russia’s war aims and against the American people.”
“[T]hese statements … are not based on facts, and …. are based on portraying the OPEC+ decision out of its purely economic context,” the ministry said. “Saudi Arabia affirms that any attempts to distort the facts about the Kingdom’s position regarding the crisis in Ukraine are unfortunate and will not change the Kingdom’s principled position.”
The Biden administration has repeatedly threatened “consequences” against Saudi Arabia over the production cut, but so far, nothing.
The Saudi diss came just three months after Biden visited the kingdom and fist-bumped Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in what was clearly an open effort to spur production.
It backfired.
Biden talked tough in November 2019 when he faced off with other Democrats at a presidential nomination debate in November 2019. The subject at hand was Saudi Arabia and the killing of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents.
“I would make it very clear we were not going to in fact sell more weapons to them,” Biden said. “We were going to in fact make them pay the price and make them in fact the pariah that they are.”
Biden went further, saying there is “very little social redeeming value in the present government in Saudi Arabia.”
But he&#8217;s far too weak to do anything now, and both the Saudis &#8212; and Putin &#8212; know that.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

Royal Court of Saudi Arabia / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Biden Begging Saudis Not To Cut Oil Production Before Elections Shows Just How Weak He Is

Biden Begging Saudis Not To Cut Oil Production Before Elections Shows How Weak He Is

OPEC

If <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/saudi-arabia-torches-biden-for-trying-to-pressure-opec-into-not-cutting-oil-production-before-midterms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Saudi Arabia</a>’s claim that President Joe Biden sought to delay oil production cuts to boost Democrats’ chances in the upcoming midterms is true, his new pledge to punish the Kingdom sounds like the kind of quid pro quo that got former <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-trump-reveals-the-lesson-that-he-learned-from-being-impeached/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Trump impeached</a>, Ben Shapiro said.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/candace/subscribe-v3?utm_campaign=dailywire&amp;utm_medium=paid&amp;utm_source=bing&amp;utm_content=na_subscriptions&amp;cid=dailywire&amp;mid=b&amp;xid=0&amp;utm_term=daily%20wire&amp;utm_campaign=&amp;utm_source=bing&amp;utm_medium=ppc&amp;hsa_acc=6411461344&amp;hsa_cam=359300990&amp;hsa_grp=1327111204906573&amp;hsa_ad=&amp;hsa_src=o&amp;hsa_tgt=kwd-82944571146337:loc-190&amp;hsa_kw=daily%20wire&amp;hsa_mt=e&amp;hsa_net=adwords&amp;hsa_ver=3&amp;msclkid=920062d0f2f616d214950198e694bfab" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> co-founder and podcast and radio host made the point on Twitter, likening Biden’s actions and alleged motive to when Trump was impeached for, according to Democrats, condition aid to Ukraine to the country’s government investigating Hunter Biden’s dealings there. Trump was impeached over the matter, although the Senate acquitted him.
“So, Joe Biden refuses to say whether he would support cutting off arms supplies to Saudi Arabia after the Saudis rejected his request to increase oil supply in a slowing economy &#8212; a request made for a specified period of time, until right after the election,” <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1580453568422629377?s=20&amp;t=K041Q-WvLXphW28YiUl8NA">Shapiro tweeted Thursday</a>. “This looks an awful lot like the president of the United States threatening to remove weaponry from a purported ally unless that ally performs actions that help that president politically in advance of an election. Wasn&#8217;t Trump impeached for that?”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
So Joe Biden refuses to say whether he would support cutting off arms supplies to Saudi Arabia after the Saudis rejected his request to increase oil supply in a slowing economy &#8212; a request made for a specified period of time, until right after the election.
&mdash; Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1580453306438033408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives impeached Trump after a whistleblower claimed he threatened to withhold $400 million in military aid from Ukraine in a July 25, 2019 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump wanted Zelensky to order prosecutors to investigate Hunter Biden, who had scored a lucrative no-show job with Ukrainian energy company while his then-vice president father handled the White House’s Ukraine portfolio for the Obama administration.
Oil-rich Saudi Arabia, the most powerful member of OPEC, said it will cut daily oil production by two million barrels just as much of the world grapples with rising fuel costs. In a statement, the Kingdom said Thursday it had refused the Biden administration’s request to delay the action for a month, which would put it just beyond the November 8 midterms.
“… the Government of the Kingdom clarified through its continuous consultation with the U.S. Administration that all economic analyses indicate that postponing the OPEC+ decision for a month, according to what has been suggested, would have had negative economic consequences,” the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in the statement.
Biden has not said exactly what he would do to punish the Saudis after being rebuffed, but the U.S. supplies the Kingdom with hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid.
&#8220;There’s going to be some consequences for what they’ve done with Russia,&#8221; Biden said of Saudi Arabia in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper that aired earlier this week. “I’m not going to get into what I’d consider and what I have in mind. But there will be — there will be consequences.”
The White House sought to paint the Saudis’ decision as aligning with Russia to undermine Western support of Ukraine and said it would “reassess” the U.S relationship with Saudi Arabia in light of the Kingdom’s refusal to delay production cuts by a month.
Shapiro was not the only one to invoke the Latin phrase meaning “this for that.”
“Quid Pro Quo?” <a href="https://twitter.com/lawyer4laws/status/1580339030373171200?s=20&amp;t=Ds4Ib9fdlwsmtCoAEefpxg">tweeted Lawyers for Laws</a>. “Joe Biden Pressured Saudi&#8217;s to Not cut oil production until after Midterms.  Saudis defied. Now Joe threatens to retaliate-cancel Military Aid.”

President Biden Delivers Remarks Health Care Costs, Medicare, And Social Security

Biden’s Threat After Saudis Nix Midterm-Friendly Oil Plan Looks Like ‘Quid Pro Quo,’ Says Shapiro

Biden's Threat After Saudis Nix Midterm-Friendly Oil Plan Looks Like 'Quid Pro Quo,' Says Shapiro

Impeachment

President Trump

When Joe Biden faced off with other Democrats at a presidential nomination debate in November 2019, he carried a big stick — and spoke loudly.
The subject at hand was Saudi Arabia and the killing of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents.
“I would make it very clear we were not going to in fact sell more weapons to them,” Biden said. “We were going to in fact make them pay the price, and make them in fact the pariah that they are.”
Biden went further, saying there is “very little social redeeming value in the present government in Saudi Arabia.”
But that was then. Biden was talking big, and as a mere candidate, he didn&#8217;t have to follow up in any way.
As president, it&#8217;s a whole different ballgame. Saudi Arabia, like China, is not a &#8220;friend&#8221; of the United States but rather a &#8220;strategic partner.&#8221; In layman&#8217;s terms, that means they have something we need, and we&#8217;ll turn a blind eye to all the bad stuff they do to get it.
So it was no surprise when Biden was forced to fly into Riyadh in July and, hat in hand, beg Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for more oil. So chummy was Biden that he fist-bumped the prince in the gilded royal palace in Jeddah.
In a piece on July 15, 2022, even the friendly New York Times said the visit didn&#8217;t go so well, with a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/world/middleeast/biden-mbs-saudi-visit.html">headline</a> that read, &#8220;Biden’s Fraught Saudi Visit Garners Scathing Criticism and Modest Accords.&#8221;
&#8220;In the most fraught foreign visit of his presidency to date, Mr. Biden’s encounter with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave the de facto Saudi leader a measure of the international rehabilitation he sought, while securing steps toward closer relations with Israel and an unannounced understanding that the kingdom would soon pump more oil to relieve high gas prices at home,&#8221; the Times wrote.
But the accords between the two nations were vague. One said simply that Saudi Arabia would “support global oil market balancing for sustained economic growth” but never said how much petroleum would be released.
And for his part, Biden said he wasn&#8217;t there for oil but added that he and the prince &#8220;privately reached an understanding that oil-producing states would agree to increase output at an Aug. 3 meeting,&#8221; the Times said.
In August, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced a boost in output — 100,000 barrels per day. The increase, equivalent to 0.1% of global demand, certainly wouldn&#8217;t help the U.S., which <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/oil/us-oil/#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20has%20proven,levels%20and%20excluding%20unproven%20reserves).">consumes</a> about 20 million barrels a day.
&#8220;The increase of 100,000 bpd will be one of the smallest since OPEC quotas were introduced in 1982, OPEC data shows,&#8221; Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/opec-meets-amid-output-struggles-us-pressure-more-oil-2022-08-03/">reported</a> at the time.
But that was great news compared to what OPEC and the Saudi prince did on Wednesday.
While gas prices in the U.S. dropped for 99 days in a row, they&#8217;ve risen again in recent weeks. Yet OPEC thinks there&#8217;s a glut in the world market for crude oil and announced it would slash oil production by 2 million barrels a day.
Biden, stickless and speaking softly, said in a Wednesday statement that he was &#8220;disappointed by the shortsighted decision.&#8221; He left it to his press secretary to wield the big stick.
&#8220;Look, it’s clear that OPEC+ is aligning with — with Russia with today’s announcement. And I’ll leave it — I’ll leave it as that,&#8221; Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
Biden&#8217;s fist-bump diplomacy has utterly failed, and Americans are about to pay a hefty price — at the pump.
Expect them to express their displeasure on Election Day.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

US President Joe Biden in Saudi Arabia

Biden’s ‘Fist-Bump Diplomacy’ With Saudi Prince Becomes Slap In The Face

President Joe Biden's 'Fist-Bump Diplomacy' With Saudi Prince Becomes Slap In The Face

President Joe Biden&#8217;s special climate envoy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/john-kerry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Kerry</a> is asking the world&#8217;s poorest to cut back on oil and other fossil fuels for the sake of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">planet</a>.
Kerry, whose family&#8217;s private jet has reportedly <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/john-kerrys-family-private-jet-emitted-300-metric-tons-carbon-biden-took-office" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emitted</a> more than 300 metric tons of carbon since Biden took office, recently encouraged the Democratic Republic of Congo to withdraw from auctioning off certain blocks of oil and gas to protect rainforests.
&#8220;We know it&#8217;s urgent. I spoke yesterday with the Deputy Prime Minister and I will speak this afternoon with the President, but it is his decision,&#8221; Kerry <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/climate-change-congo-summit-idAFL8N3153BA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Tuesday.
According to Reuters, the U.S. claims that opening up the land in question could unleash environmental ruin by releasing large amounts of heat-trapping gas into the air.
&#8220;We have clearly described our interest in protecting the forests,&#8221; Kerry <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/climate-change-congo-summit-idAFL8N3153BA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>. &#8220;We have asked for some blocks to be removed from the auction.&#8221;
The Congo is <a href="https://www.lendahand.com/en-EU/blog/755-poverty-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of the poorest nations</a> in the world. It is riddled with poverty and corruption. Its government says that it needs to tap into the country&#8217;s abundant natural resources for its people and economy. Congolese environmental minister Eve Bazaiba was emphatic that children would starve if the Congo wasn&#8217;t allowed to auction off the oil blocks.
<div class="paragraph-wrapper">
&#8220;As much as we need oxygen, we also need bread,&#8221; she <a href="https://nation.africa/africa/news/us-climate-envoy-john-kerry-asks-dr-congo-to-ditch-some-oil-blocks-3973134" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> before the United Nations on Monday.
This isn&#8217;t the first time Kerry has asked third-world countries to sacrifice for the greater global good in recent weeks.
In early September, the Heinz heiress&#8217;s husband warned poorer nations in Africa that they would have to choose which sort of fossil fuel they wanted to power the continent.
“We are not saying no gas,” Kerry <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/climate-czar-john-kerry-warns-africa-natural-gas-bring-power-millions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at a conference in Dakar, Senegal.
“What we are saying is, over the next few years, gas replaces coal or replaces oil,” he added while promoting a transition to green energy.
For all his hot air about hot air, Kerry is not very good at his job.
American taxpayers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-much-are-taxpayers-paying-climate-czar-john-kerry-he-wont-say-but-one-gop-senator-is-demanding-answers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">do not know how much money</a> he makes, but <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/whats-john-kerry-hiding-memo-shows-bidens-climate-office-is-keeping-elements-we-cant-put-on-paper-out-of-emails" target="_blank" rel="noopener">we know that his staff</a> has discussed hiding &#8220;elements&#8221; from emails.
We also know that powerful countries like China have completely ignored his warnings. In September 2021, Kerry told Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng that there is &#8220;no way&#8221; for the globe to defeat climate change without the Chinese Communist Party&#8217;s &#8220;full engagement and commitment,&#8221; <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/02/1033557246/u-s-envoy-kerry-says-china-is-crucial-to-handling-the-climate-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to NPR.
Since then, China has emitted record amounts of carbon, opened more <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/in-devastating-blow-to-john-kerrys-green-energy-utopia-china-to-start-increasing-coal-production" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coal plants</a>, and paused communications with Kerry.
Now, the failed-presidential candidate is reduced to sending unanswered emails to his CCP counterpart Xie Zhenhua.
“I have emailed,” Kerry recently <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-21/kerry-sees-prospect-for-thaw-in-frozen-us-china-climate-talks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a>. “He’s not allowed to answer me, and it’s very complicated &#8230; And he hasn&#8217;t.&#8221;
Through it all, Kerry remains optimistic that he can wrangle the Red Dragon that is currently eating his lunch.
</div>
&#8220;They suspended &#8212; they didn’t terminate,” Kerry said of U.S.-China climate change diplomacy. “I really hope China will decide sometime in the next days it is worth coming back to this because we owe it to humankind.”
Hope is not a strategy, so instead, Kerry will bully African nations to pick up China&#8217;s slack while his boss <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-28/biden-wants-record-11-billion-in-climate-aid-to-poor-nations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promises</a> them billions in taxpayer dollars if they forgo economic progress.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

John Kerry

Jetsetter John Kerry Asks World’s Poorest To Cut Back On Oil

Jetsetter John Kerry Asks World's Poorest To Cut Back On Oil

Climate Change

Global Warming

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gas</a> prices are going up, while legislators recently took action to make it more difficult to drill for oil and gas in the Golden State.
The national average prices of gas, as of September 26, was $3.73 across the country, according to <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AAA</a>. In California, it was at $5.80, the steepest in the entire nation.
In southern California, the numbers are rough. Residents of the Los Angeles-Long Beach region are experiencing $5.84 gas prices, according to <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/california-gas-prices-skyrocketing-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KTLA</a>. The outlet pointed out that the number is up 41 cents from a week prior, up 55 cents from a month ago, and almost $1.50 more than a year ago.
In Los Angeles County, the average cost of regular gas went up 4.1 cents on Monday, in its 24th time rising in a row, according to <a href="https://abc7.com/gas-prices-gasoline-inflation/12267611/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC-7</a>.
In Orange County, a gallon of regular gas was $5.83 as of September 26, which was 44 cents up from a week ago, 63 cents up from a month ago and almost $1.50 up from last year.
In Riverside and San Bernardino areas, gas is around $5.70 per gallon, which is a slightly lower number, but not much better for those struggling under the difficulties of inflation and the U.S. economy.
KTLA noted that environmental policies that push costs over a dollar per gallon are one reason why California regularly sees high costs. The state also has the second steapest gas tax in the country.
Another reason for the spike is reportedly due to the availability of oil as supplies on the west coast are at the lowest amount they’ve been in around ten years, according to the US Energy Information Administration, per <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/california-gas-prices-expected-to-keep-going-up-as-oil-inventory-on-west-coast-remains-low/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS</a> News.
&#8220;Oil Price Information Service reports that several local refineries are undergoing unplanned maintenance as fuel inventories are at their lowest levels in a decade, which caused Los Angeles wholesale gas prices to rise sharply this week,&#8221; Doug Shupe, corporate communications and programs manager of the Automobile Club of Southern California, said.
&#8220;Until the issues with the refineries get resolved, and these refineries are fully operational again, we are going to have very volatile gas pump prices,&#8221; Shupe <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/california-gas-prices-expected-to-keep-going-up-as-oil-inventory-on-west-coast-remains-low/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>.
Experts reportedly say that prices likely won’t go down until November when the state’s winter mix of fuel become obtainable for drivers.
The price of gas across the country also <a href="https://abc7.com/gas-prices-gasoline-inflation/12267611/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went</a> up for the sixth day in a row.
The inventories of crude oil in the country <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/crude-oil-stocks-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went</a> up 1.1 million barrels for the week ending in September 16, which was lower than the anticipated increase of 2.2 million barrels, per the EIA report.
California has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-passes-54-billion-in-climate-spending-votes-to-keep-nuclear-plant-open-but-infringes-on-oil-and-gas-wells" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taken</a> steps to make it more difficult to create new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/oil" target="_blank" rel="noopener">oil</a> and gas wells, with legislators deciding that the new wells must be established at least 3,200 feet back from certain community areas. In the past, gas and oil businesses have spoken out against such legislation, noting that such regulations would harm energy production and spike the prices of fuel.

D2B334C0-1821-4535-954B-9BC8FB2935D6_1_201_a

Gas Prices Go Up In California

Gas Prices Rise In California To $5.80

California

Gas Prices

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Oil